A circular walk from the National Park Centre at Aysgarth in Wensleydale taking in three flights of waterfalls. The waterfalls have been a popular attraction since the early 19th century, when Wordsworth used to visit. Turner and Ruskin have painted the falls and they were even the setting for a fight scene in the Hollywood film Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves. A woodland walk is then followed to head on to the ruins and gardens at Bolton Castle. There you can stop for refreshments before returning back to Aysgarth via Carperby.

Exit out of the far car park following the sign left for Upper Falls. Follow the graveled path down
towards the falls. On reaching the road turn right onto the road and almost immediately through a
gate following a sign for "Askrigg 4 miles". A few yards through this gate go through another gate
on the left and follow the path up to the falls (approximately 100 yards).

Middle Falls

Return back to the road. On entering onto the road turn left and follow the road along the straight
and round to the left. Just before the entrance for the car park is reached turn right through a gate
at the sign for Middle and Lower Falls. Follow very well marked out gravel path. After about fifty
yards, turn right and follow the path down to the viewpoint overlooking Middle Falls.

Lower Falls

Return back up the hill to the original path. Upon reaching the path, turn right following the sign
for the Lower Falls continuing along the graveled path. Pass through the kissing gate and continue
straight ahead passing a gate on the right-hand side through which the walk returns from the Lower
Falls. Continue through another gate and then the path starts to descend. Upon reaching a split in
the paths you can continue straight ahead for a more frontal view of the falls, but then return to
this point and take the right turn following the sign for "Viewpoint Lower Falls". Almost immediately
the falls can be seen from a viewpoint, next to which are pictures etched into the stones making up
the path. Continue along the path which shortly opens up alongside the falls and follows the river
bank. Continue along taking the footpath off up to the right away from the river signed "return
path". This path leads up hill to rejoin the path used to reach the Lower Falls. Go through the gate
and turn right following path already used to reach the Lower Falls.

After approximately twenty yards, veer off left along the grass between a tree and the signpost,
signed "Castle Bolton and Redmire". The grass path goes away from the other path to meet a fence.
Continue along the path staying parallel and very close to the fence. Go through a gate-stile in
the wall, again following the sign for Redmire and Castle Bolton. Continue ahead across the field
heading slightly diagonally left up for a gate to the right of Hollins House Farm. Go through the
gate and follow the farm track, and upon reaching the farm itself, turn right along a tarmac road
through the farm buildings and proceed through a red gate. After approximately fifty yards, turn
off along the footpath to the right signed "Footpath".

After about one hundred yards pass through a disused gate and continue along the path which is now
heading in the direction of Castle Bolton. Go though gate-stile in the wall passing a sign pointing
in the reverse direction to "Aysgarth Falls", and continue on well worn path across the field towards
the farm buildings in the foreground with Castle Bolton beyond. In the corner of the field where the
fence meets the wall, go over the stile and keep to the right-hand side of the wall, following the
sign for "Castle Bolton".

After one hundred yards go over a stile by a red gate, followed twenty yards later by passing another
gate, following the farmer's hand-written sign which directs walkers along the side of the wall and
away from the farm. After one hundred and fifty yards follow sign straight ahead for "Castle Bolton"
gradually leaving the wall only to be rejoined by it a little further down the path. Keep about five
yards to the left of the wall, and continue ahead and over a stile, all the while Castle Bolton can
clearly be seen up to the left. The path continues for about three-quarters of a mile lined for the
majority of that time by hedges, fences and walls on both sides. Go through a red gate and out onto
a road. Keeping the houses and farm buildings on the right, continue along the road for about fifty
yards. On the bend in the road, by a large tree veer up to the left over a stone walkway over a
riverbed, and go left over the stile away from the road. Continue ahead for ten yards over a fallen
down wall and turn right following a sign "Footpath" along a grassy path following initially the line
of the overhead electric cables.

Road up to Bolton Castle

Go across the field through a gap in the wall following sign again simply signed "Footpath". Continue
onwards through the next field over the stile and onto the road. Cross over and take the road almost
straight ahead up the hill leading up to Castle Bolton. The road is signed "Castle Bolton half mile".

Castle Bolton maze and gardens

The small village of Castle Bolton is built around the ruins of Bolton Castle. The gardens of the
castle are free to enter and there is also a tea shop inside. To enter the castle itself there is
a small entrance fee. There is a pleasant village green in front of the castle on which to picnic
if you so desired. Bolton Castle was built between 1375 and 1399 by Sir Richard Scrope, Lord Chancellor
to Richard II. The castle is made up of a high curtain wall, three stories high, with a tower in each
corner almost 100 feet high. Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned here for nearly a year in 1568. A bar
and restaurant are also now included within its walls.

Looking back at Bolton Castle

The walk continues along the road down the side of the castle following the car park sign. Pass through
the gate next to the car park entrance and immediately bear off diagonally left across the field, not
following the track ahead which leads to Askrigg. At the corner of the filed, go through the gate-stile
following the sign for "Carperby and Aysgarth". Twenty yards further go through the next gate-stile and
follow the wall for a further ten yards before following footpath signed "Aysgarth" that heads diagonally
down the left across the field.

View across to West Witton Moor

Go through the gate in the far fence and continue straight ahead almost underneath the overhead power
lines. Continue across the field and through the red gate in the far wall, then continuing in almost
the same direction follow the path for one hundred yards over a footbridge. Once over the bridge,
follow path up the hill back towards the overhead wires, and just before the pylon turn left over
through the gate-stile in the wall. Cross this field in the direction of the farm buildings heading
for the gate. Continue through this gate and on towards the farm buildings and plantation. The path
veers to the left in front of the house. Go through another gate and continue straight ahead. Continue
on and as the lane bends around to the left, turn off right and go through a swing-gate in the wall,
then through another gate to head up the right-hand side of the tree plantation. Continue up the side
of the fence around the trees. At the top end of the trees, go through the stile which is attached to
the fence. Follow the path away from the plantation across the field heading downwards to the fallen
down wall and then continue ahead in the same direction. The fallen down wall is at a junction with a
small stream. Continue ahead heading for another wooden swing gate in the wall. Continue onwards with
a line of trees on the right-hand side across a further field to another red gate. A further hundred
yards on pass through another red gate and cross the next field containing a small farm building. Go
through next gate and continue straight ahead. There is often an electric cattle fence bordering each
side of the footpath for a while on this section. Continue onwards in the same direction following the
well trodden path. The path turns into a reasonable stone track as it begins to descend to the farm
below. Pass through the first few farm buildings, then through the red gate and follow the track round
to the left before the main farm buildings down onto the road. Turn right onto the road and walk into
the village of Carperby.

Take the footpath off the road on the left-hand side opposite the Wheatsheath public house. The pub
serves bar snacks, if you want a break in the walk. Go through the gate opposite the pub signed
"Aysgarth". After about thirty yards go through gate entrance in the wall, then immediately left
continuing onwards directly away from the road. About three-quarters way down the field there is a
small farm building built into the wall on the right opposite the ruins of another farm building to
the left of the path. Twenty yards past these go through a gap in the wall and continue directly
ahead. Through the next gap or the wooden gate you enter onto a road. Turn right onto the road (Low
Lane) for ten yards then go left through the gap in the opposite wall following footpath for Aysgarth
to continuing ahead in the same direction as the wall was approached. After fifty yards where the
wall on the right meets the bushes, go through the gap between the wall and the bushes following the
sign "Footpath". Head diagonally across the field in a line roughly for the two small farm buildings.
Follow path to the gate-stile in the first wall. Continue on the same line through the next field for
another gate-stile in the wall, and continue on a line for the large tree ahead. Go through a narrow
gap in the wall immediately in front of the large tree. The walls around this area are also marked
with yellow paint dots to mark the footpath. Continue with the large on the left heading for the gap
in the wall ahead. Through this continue onwards for the next gap in the wall in the direction of the
trees. Then shortly after this go through the gate into the trees. On entering the trees continue
straight ahead for about fifteen yards on a soil track then turn right for a further fifteen yards
before turning left down the track which leads back on to the road.

On reaching the road turn left and go down the hill under the 15'9" bridge and turn right back into
the car park.